Pedro Martinez proud to become second Dominican in Hall of Fame

Pitcher joins Juan Marichal as players from the country to be inducted

By Nick Solari

Updated 10:26 pm, Sunday, July 26, 2015

Photo: Elsa

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COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 26: Pedro Martinez fans celebrate before the Induction Ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York.Martinez, along with Craig Biggio,Randy Johnson and John Smoltz will be inducted in a ceremony later today. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 560218733 less

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 26: Pedro Martinez fans celebrate before the Induction Ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York.Martinez, along with Craig Biggio,Randy ... more

Photo: Elsa

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COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 26: Hall of Fame inductee Randy Johnson takes a picture of fellow inductee John Smoltz during the Induction Ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 560218733 less

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 26: Hall of Fame inductee Randy Johnson takes a picture of fellow inductee John Smoltz during the Induction Ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, ... more

Martinez — admittedly ad-libbing a majority of his speech — donned a light-blue suit with a red and blue striped tie.

There were symbols for both the Dominican Republic and the United States on either shoulder of his jacket, representing the two places that mean the most to him.

He glanced over at the plaque in MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's hand — the very plaque that would represent Martinez as a baseball player until the end of time.

Then, with a large smile on his face, he looked out toward the lawn at the Clark Sports Center, scanning the throngs of supporters from around the world who came out to see him speak.

"Hola!" Martinez shouted with a sense of jubilation. "Hola!"

At that moment, Pedro Martinez became a member of an immortal class of baseball players.

The 5-foot-11 right-hander proceeded to speak about many things over the next half-hour, including his faith, his supporting cast and the MLB organizations he played for.

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Nothing he spoke about, however, came with as much passion and vigor as when he talked about his native country.

"It's a great moment for me and my family, and a great moment for the Dominican Republic and Latin America," said Martinez, the second Dominican-born player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He then specifically addressed the hundreds of Dominican fans who had flocked to New York state, flags in hand, to see his speech.

"I would like you to actually see me as a sign of hope for a third-world country, for Latin America, for someone that you can continue to look up to."

That bigger-picture line was a microcosm of Martinez's thoughtful, reflective time at the podium.

Craig Biggio, John Smoltz and Randy Johnson had all given their speeches before Martinez. Most of the time, they read from a sheet of well-prepared thoughts in order to ensure they thanked everyone deserving.

Not Pedro. It just wouldn't have accurately represented the raw emotion he displayed each time he climbed a baseball mound.

"I had some bullet points that I wanted to get across, but a lot of it was just pure creation," Martinez said. "I did not expect to say some of the stuff I did, but it just came to me."

One subject Martinez often came back to was God.

"(God) is the one that pretty much builds a way for you to make it here," Martinez said. "You're going to make it, actually become who you are. I have here the reason why Pedro was so determined out there. I have here the glorious God with me."

Martinez also spoke specifically about the Red Sox, the team that accompanies his name on his plaque.

Martinez pitched for the Red Sox from 1998-2004, going 117-37 over that span.

"Boston, I don't have enough words to say how much I love you," he said, which drew a loud cheer from the crowd on hand.

In his career from 1992-2009 — when steroid-aided offenses put up absurd run totals — Martinez made eight All-Star rosters, won three Cy Young awards and had Major League Baseball's lowest ERA five times.

He collected 219 wins and only 100 losses. He was a member of the 2004 Red Sox World Series championship team, which, after trailing the New York Yankees 3-0 in the American League Championship Series, famously became the first team to ever recover from that deficit to advance.

In 1999, Martinez went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA, 313 strikeouts and only 37 walks. The apex of that season was when Martinez started the All-Star Game at Fenway Park, fanning five of the six batters he faced over two innings.

Martinez joked with the writers on hand that he should have won the American League's MVP award that season, saying he didn't because voters thought the award belonged to an everyday performer.

Not to be forgotten is a year later, in 2000, when he posted a career-best 1.74 ERA and went 18-6.

Fans who saw him pitch will long remember the days that Martinez absolutely dominated hitters.

And now, they'll have a physical place that signifies that memory: Cooperstown.